Pierre Lellouche, a minister with a reputation for a sharp tongue, deeply regretted causing offence by calling British Tories autistic, but he also blamed his interviewer’s poor grasp of French, according to his spokesman.

“Pierre Lellouche fully understands the emotion that has been aroused and bitterly regrets that he may have wounded people,” said Franck Allisio. “The words used obviously do not reflect the substance of his thought and the clumsiness was completely unintended.”

The government is today expected to announce modest rent reductions for around two million housing association tenants, despite a survey of tenants showing that most are against a rent cut.

Last week, Society Guardian reported that the associations – the main providers of social housing – feared that such cuts will lead to a sharp fall in the level of affordable house building because they will be unable to raise the necessary loans for new building.Not-for-profit associations depend on rental streams as collateral to raise private loans – and any rent freeze, or reduction, will make them less credit worthy because projected income levels will not be met.